In the first of a two-part series examining the likely effects of the 2011 Arab uprisings on the prospects for closer African unity, Kateb Salim reviews the obstacles and openings facing Pan-Maghreb integration.

This week, millions of Tunisians lined up at polling stations to vote in their country's first ever open, democratic elections. In his latest column, Kateb Salim considers the significance of the occasion and what lies ahead for the country and the region.

In his latest column, Kateb Salim, surveying the latest developments in Libya, embarks on an impassioned attack on the widespread tendency of Arab governments, and populations, to use external threats as pretexts for decades-long political repression and economic stagnation.

In his latest column, Kateb Salim takes a look at the current upheavals in Morocco, including King Mohammed VI's latest reforms. Although, the monarchy has staved off a mass revolt, Salim argues, the next few months will determine its chances of survival.

In his latest column, Kateb Salim takes a look at Sarkozy's relationship with former French colonies in North Africa, from his days as a populist interior minister, to his ailing presidency, informed by unreconstructed neo-colonialism, opportunistic interventionism and cultural insensitivity.